There and Back Again
by Mara Greengrass
Summary: Enterprise/Stargate SG-1 crossover. The Enterprise crew must help SG-1 find a way home.
1. Part 1

TITLE: There and Back Again  
AUTHOR: Mara Greengrass  
AUTHOR'S E-MAIL: fishfolk@ix.netcom.com. Feedback is better than chocolate.  
PERMISSION TO ARCHIVE: Yes, just ask.  
CATEGORY: Crossover/adventure  
RATINGS/WARNINGS: G   
SUMMARY: Enterprise/Stargate SG-1 crossover. The Enterprise crew must help SG-1 find a way home.  
CONTINUITY: Long before Stargate's "Meridian," and some time late in Enterprise's first season. (And I'm choosing to ignore all the Star Trek jokes on Stargate. So there.)  
DISCLAIMER: Enterprise and all its crew belong to Paramount, the SG-1 crew belongs to MGM, Gekko Productions and many other entities with expensive lawyers. I'm not makin' a dime here.  
NOTES: This story is a result of Taryn's comment while I was ill and susceptible, and Chianna subsequently fed the plot bunny. Hugs to everyone who encouraged me to finish this, especially Taryn for catching some serious errors and giving me the fix for my faulty ending. Let me also take this opportunity to thank all the folks who've reviewed my stories on fanfiction.net, but haven't left me an e-mail address to respond to. In the future, please do! I really want to thank you personally.  
DEDICATION: On the 25-year anniversary of the orbiter Enterprise, I dedicate this story to the countless employees and astronauts of NASA for fueling my decades of space dreams. The day I visited the Kennedy Space Center and watched the shuttle hurtle into the sky was one of the greatest of my life. Thank you.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The tinge of an orange sun shone at a late afternoon angle on a row of buildings, all empty. At least, that's what the scanners said. Jonathan Archer sighed as he walked down the abandoned street, trying to be excited about a new world.   
  
Since landing Shuttlepod One on this planet several hours ago, they'd found little of value...or interest. The strange readings that Trip and T'Pol had seen from Enterprise were proving very difficult to track down now that they were on the surface.  
  
Paving stones crumbling under his feet, Jon strolled, looking for something interesting to record. All he found was street after street of dilapidated buildings, square boxes with crumbling edges, looking like a weathered set of children's blocks. The colors were faded, but he could see green, and blue, and what had probably been a brilliant shade of red.  
  
"Sato to Archer."  
  
"Go ahead."  
  
"I think Trip's found it, sir. It's...well, maybe you should come see."  
  
"On my way." Jon grinned at the excited tone in Hoshi's voice, which was certainly nice to hear. Actually, it was always nice to-  
  
Jon cut the thought short and concentrated on using his scanner to find his comm officer's location. Finally, he rounded a corner, looked up, and stopped dead in his tracks.  
  
"What the-"  
  
"That's about what I said, Cap'n," Trip said with some amusement from the base of an artifact that looked as out of place as a Klingon tending a flower garden.  
  
At the center of an open space was a huge stone ring on a raised platform, with a series of symbols around its edge. A few feet in front of it, Hoshi stood at what looked like a control panel built out of the same weathered stone, and Malcolm peered over her shoulder. Off to one side Jon saw a series of large stone panels covered with carved designs, perhaps writing of some kind.  
  
Jon shook his head and frankly stared around him. "What *is* this?"  
  
"Not sure, Cap'n. I've never seen anything like it, but I'm pretty sure this is what we saw from the ship. I can't even tell you what this thing is made of. Hoshi, how's it going?"  
  
She looked up from the panel. "I'm just not sure what I'm looking at, sir. The really strange thing is, the symbols here and on those panels are completely different than anything else I've seen on this planet. I think it's safe to say this thing isn't native."  
  
Malcolm frowned. "Perhaps this artifact is the reason the planet is abandoned."  
  
Jon was walking toward the ring to get a closer look when Trip's head shot up in alarm. "There's something funny. The readings are going off the scale."  
  
"What's it doing?" Jon asked. Under his feet, the ground shook a little and he nearly lost his balance.  
  
"I don't know," Trip replied, starting to back away, "but we'd better get out of its way. For all I know, we've set off the self-destruct. Get behind something."  
  
There were a few moments of chaos, as all four dashed for the shelter of a nearby wall. Jon crouched next to Trip, who was frantically fiddling with the scanner.   
  
"Whoa," Trip said.  
  
"Whoa? What does 'whoa' mean?" Hoshi asked, an edge of alarm in her voice.  
  
As all four of them peered around the edges of the wall, the giant ring suddenly filled with a roiling mass of matter, blue and black liquid seething like a pot of bubbling water. A thick tendril of matter shot out toward them.  
  
"Whoa!" Jon, Malcolm, and Hoshi yelled.  
  
"Jeez, Cap'n, I don't know-"  
  
Before Trip could finish whatever he was going to say, something even more astonishing happened...several bolts of energy shot out and four humanoid figures came running out of the ring. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the bubbling mass behind them disappeared with a flash of light, leaving the ring just as it had been. The four figures scrambled to a halt on the platform and looked around them, apparently surprised.  
  
"Guys," a male figure with short graying hair said, aiming some kind of bulky weapon in front of him, "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."  
  
"We were not going to Kansas, O'Neill," replied the large dark man behind him. He was holding a long stick, and there was some kind of symbol on his forehead.  
  
"For crying out loud, Teal'c, I know that. I meant...never mind. Where the hell are we? This obviously isn't the SGC unless they've gone in for some serious redecoration." He paused. "And, you know, brought it up from underground. Never mind."  
  
The Enterprise crew froze in shock, unwilling to believe their ears. They stared at each other for long moments before realizing they had all heard untranslated English. Jon stood up, evading Malcolm's hand trying to drag him back behind cover. Cursing under his breath, Malcolm followed his captain out into the open, followed by Trip and Hoshi.   
  
"Excuse me," Jon asked, "but who the hell are you?"  
  
Instantly, three of the four on the platform pointed something at them. Malcolm and Jon aimed phase pistols and the two teams stared at each other. There was a long moment of strangled silence, broken by Trip, who'd been studying his scanner and ignoring the weapons.   
  
"Cap'n, they're human," he said, "Well, three of them at least."  
  
"Of course we're human," the man in front said, lowering his weapon slightly. "Who are you?"  
  
"Captain Jonathan Archer of the Enterprise."  
  
"Enterprise?" the blonde woman asked with obvious surprise. "Enterprise is a decommissioned NASA vehicle."  
  
Trip looked up at that. "Sure, it *was*, in what, the 20th century?"  
  
The one person not holding a weapon stepped forward and peered diffidently at them through wire-rimmed glasses. "Not to be picky, but what year *is* it?"  
  
"2151," Trip said.  
  
Three of the four figures on the platform stared in astonishment. The fourth lowered the long stick in his hand, his expression unchanged. "I believe," he said with great dignity, "that the Tau'ri saying is, 'Here we go again.'"  
  
"Yeah, that's about right," said the man in glasses.  
  
The man who'd spoken first groaned, then lowered his weapon. "Well, just to get this party started, I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill of the United States Air Force." He pointed to the woman. "This here's Major Samantha Carter, also Air Force. The big guy's Teal'c, joined by his symbiote Junior (he's a Jaffa, don't ask), and that's Dr. Daniel Jackson, resident linguist and archaeologist. We're from the early 21st century."  
  
Jon felt his jaw actually dropping, and he forced it to close, but didn't quite trust his voice. After a deep breath, he managed to sound almost normal. "United States Air Force? There's hasn't been such a thing-"  
  
"Don't tell me," Jack said, "I don't want to know how long."  
  
"Sorry if this sounds rude," Malcolm said, "but why should we believe you're time travelers? You must admit it's an unlikely story."  
  
"Yeah, well, let's say we didn't intend to do this. And we've been through this before, so it's a little easier for us to believe." Jack shook his head and glared at the blonde next to him. "So, Carter, what did it this time? Sunspots? Meteorites? The cancellation of Baywatch?"  
  
"I don't know, sir, I'll have to take some readings and see. But from past experience, it's going to be a great deal more complicated than simply dialing for home."  
  
"How'd I know you were gonna say that?"  
  
* * * * *  
  
After further introductions, the reluctant time travelers decided they should try to use the giant ring, which they called a Stargate, in case they *could* go home easily.  
  
Jon watched as the four of them huddled around the control panel, and he listened to their confusing conversation.  
  
"We don't know which symbol represents this planet," Jack said. "I thought you had to know that." The other three looked at him. "What? I listen to you sometimes."  
  
"You're right, we do need to know the correct symbol," Sam said, "but we know what most of the others represent, so we can eliminate those and try whichever combinations are left."  
  
Jon smiled as Hoshi hovered around the strangers, recording whatever information she could about the symbols on the Stargate, and Trip tried to figure out how it worked.  
  
Malcolm watched from a few feet away, frowning, obviously bothered by the easy acceptance of the visitors.  
  
"At ease, Lieutenant," Jon said quietly, walking over to Malcolm.  
  
"But, sir-"  
  
"They've offered us no harm, and their story makes a twisted kind of sense. I appreciate your concerns, but I think we're in no danger from these people." Jon saw Malcolm's eyes shift, so he was prepared for the deep voice that spoke from behind him.  
  
"Your Captain is correct," Teal'c said. "We intend no harm, we simply wish to return to our own time."  
  
"Where were you coming from, anyway?"  
  
"We seek allies in a war against..."  
  
Jon left the two to trade stories and went to see how the "dialing" process was going.  
  
"Sir, we've narrowed it down to these 5 glyphs based on addresses we remember," Sam said, pointing to several symbols.  
  
"What are you waiting for?"  
  
Sam and Daniel looked at each other and shrugged. "Nothing, sir." She leaned over and began to press a series of symbols. As she pushed each one, the button sank into the console.  
  
She paused, hand just over the seventh, her eyes stole up to the Stargate, then she quickly pressed down.  
  
The four visitors looked expectant, but nothing happened.  
  
Disappointment was plain on their faces, but Sam quickly reset the panel and began again. Each time, everyone held their breath and each time nothing happened.  
  
"One more," she said quietly.  
  
"Just do it, Carter."  
  
She pushed each symbol slowly, as if she were afraid to finish, then finally came to the last. All eight people looked at the Stargate.  
  
Silence.  
  
No matter filled the circle and nothing happened.  
  
"Damn it," Jack said, turning away.  
  
"That's all of them," Daniel said.  
  
"Are you telling me we really *are* stuck?" Jack whirled to face him, obviously spoiling for a fight.  
  
"Yes, sir." Sam looked frustrated. "We've tried every combination of Earth's address with different final symbols. There's something else wrong."  
  
"What about the Tok'ra? Can we reach them? Maybe it's just the SGC."  
  
"I can try the same final symbols with a different address, but I don't think it will make a difference. We need to figure out what caused us to end up here rather than at the SGC."  
  
"Damn." Jack's face was tight with tension. "Let's get to work, then."  
  
Jon decided it was time to interrupt. "Whatever we can do to help, we'd be happy to do. Trip, I think you're most likely to be of assistance here."  
  
Trip jumped at the chance to learn more about the Stargate, and he hit it off immediately with Sam as she explained the engineering of the Stargate and he showed her readings from before and during their emergence. Blond heads bent over the equipment, their conversation quickly became too technical for almost anyone else.  
  
Jon noticed Jack staring at Trip every time the engineer put a hand anywhere near Sam, and he made a mental note to warn Trip about it. Trip's casual manner with women had gotten him in trouble before, and it looked likely to do so again without intervention.  
  
Teal'c and Malcolm, both bored since weapons weren't involved, settled watchfully on a nearby stone wall. Without ever losing track of their teammate's whereabouts, they engaged in a detailed discussion of battle tactics. Jon fought not to grin in paternal amusement as the two of them bonded over details of firefights, guerilla warfare, and treachery.  
  
Daniel and Hoshi also found common ground; the latter explaining what she'd found on this world while the former explained the Stargate and its creators. They kept wandering further afield to gather more data and had to be dragged back to the Stargate. Jon and Jack eventually threatened to put them on leashes, which curbed their wandering for a while. They settled down near the Stargate to work on their notes.  
  
"I wish I had my books," Daniel said wistfully. "Your database is great, but it doesn't include the information I need."  
  
"Sorry," Hoshi said, smiling. "I've never seen this language before, I'm afraid, and my training was entirely focused on modern languages, not ancient."   
  
They bent back over the padd, but it was only a few minutes later Jon noticed the smiles were gone, and Daniel's brows were furrowed. Jon figured that was probably a bad thing.  
  
"Jack," Daniel said, "we need to talk."  
  
"Captain?" Hoshi called. "I think you'd better come here as well."  
  
Jack had been debating firepower with Malcolm and Teal'c, but he turned and walked over at the sound of Daniel's voice. "What's up, Danny?"  
  
"I've only translated part of the Ancient's writing, but I think this was another experiment."  
  
"You mean like that time loop we were stuck in?" Jack didn't look at all happy, and from his seat a few meters away, Teal'c stared at Daniel in what had to be dismay.  
  
"I think so."  
  
Jon looked back and forth between the two of them. "Experiment? I don't like the sound of that?"  
  
"The people who built the Stargates, the Ancients, were technologically advanced, but let's say they didn't always use their knowledge wisely." Daniel's smile was slightly twisted. "The last time we ran into a failed experiment, it trapped all of us in a time loop for months."  
  
"So, did somebody stick us here because they were mucking around with it?" Jack looked at Jon, with dawning suspicion.  
  
Jon held up his hands. "Whoa there, we didn't touch anything, we were just looking at it."  
  
"Sir, I don't think it was anything on this end that triggered what happened," Sam said, looking up from her own work. "I could be wrong, but that doesn't seem likely."  
  
"But there *is* the minor coincidence of our arriving just as you came here to study the planet," Jack said.  
  
"We came because on the way to investigating an incipient supernova, my science officer noticed strange readings from an abandoned planet. Maybe it was the Stargate, or maybe the readings heralded your arrival, but that's why they dropped us off here. They'll be back in two days."  
  
Jack relaxed slightly. "That makes sense."  
  
"Let's get back to figuring out what happened," Jon said.  
  
Jon and Jack had to drag the scientists away from the Stargate when night fell a short time later. It was tough, but when Trip found himself having to hold a light so Sam could see something, even he had to concede the logic of breaking off work. The planet's one moon wasn't reflecting enough light to be of much help. In fact, it was just enough to cast faint shadows across the ground.  
  
Everyone trekked the half mile to where the Enterprise crew had left Shuttlepod One and its supplies. The walk wasn't far, but it was much worse in the dark than it had been earlier. It wasn't just the difficulty of not tripping over debris, it was the alien feel of the empty city.  
  
Voices that had been raised while they worked dropped to just a murmur as the humans (and one Jaffa) reacted to the oppressive darkness. Malcolm, on point, looked tense even though there was still no evidence of any sentient life on the planet.  
  
Jon and Trip brought up the rear, and the former found himself eyeing the looming buildings with caution. Trip grinned at him. "Spooky, huh? Too bad Travis isn't here, this'd be perfect for one of his ghost stories."  
  
Jon sighed. "I think it's the emptiness, the quiet, that bother me. Since we don't know why they left, my mind keeps imagining more horrible possibilities."  
  
"I know what you mean. Plague, natural disaster, some weapon that only kills living beings, any of 'em are possible until we know something more."  
  
Everyone sighed with relief when they reached the campsite. In true human fashion, the first thing they did was build a fire, a little rebellion against the dark. With the flames licking up into the sky, everyone seemed to relax a bit, although Teal'c, Jack, and Malcolm continued to keep an eye on the shadows outside their ring.  
  
"I can't believe this happened to us again," Jack grumbled to Jon as he leaned against the shuttle and idly tossed pebbles at a nearby wall. "I just wanted to get home and watch the hockey game. Is that too much to ask?"  
  
Jon grinned at him. "Water polo for me, but I know what you mean. It's always something, isn't it?"  
  
"Yeah," Jack said, then he got a strange expression on his face. "Wait a minute, I've had a thought. You say you guys are what the military turned into, right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And you're off doing the exploration thing?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well, what the hell happened to the Stargates in the last 150 years? Have you ever heard of the Goa'uld? The Tok'ra? The Asgard?"  
  
Jon shook his head. "No. They don't sound familiar. And I've never seen anything like this Stargate before."  
  
Sam looked up from where she and Trip were huddling over a padd. "Sir, I think we've done something a lot more serious than travel in time."  
  
Daniel and Hoshi had been making notes on another padd and they both looked up. "Jack, she's right. There are too many inconsistencies. I don't think we're even in our own universe, our own timestream, anymore."  
  
"Did we run into another set of those quantum mirrors, then?"  
  
"No, sir, I don't *think* so," Sam said. She frowned as she tried to figure out how to explain it. "Those only cycled through different realities, different universes, not through time as well. This is something different."  
  
"Well, hell," Jack said. He banged his head back against the shuttle behind him. "Just another fine mission with SG-1. Why doesn't anything normal ever happen to us? Other teams get shot, we get shot through time and dimensions in space."  
  
Jon chuckled. "I often feel that way. I'd like to get through just one first contact without someone being shot, kidnapped, or hit on the head."  
  
Jack stopped throwing pebbles and frowned harder. "What the hell do we do now?"  
  
"Now, we eat, we get some rest, and in the morning we figure out what happened."  
  
"Thanks, we appreciate the help."  
  
"It's the least we can do for fellow humans stranded far from home."  
  
Jack turned to the rest of the team. "Okay, folks, we're bedding down here for the night."  
  
"Good," Trip said with a yawn, "just now if I look at one more reading, my brain's gonna explode."  
  
Sam smiled. "Well, as interesting a scientific phenomenon as that would be, I think I'll pass."  
  
Daniel and Hoshi took the various food supplies and managed to put together a remarkably palatable stew, and as everyone ate, they got to know each other.   
  
"So," Malcolm said, stirring a spoon through his bowl, "in all your traveling you've surely seen some interesting weaponry." He'd finally relaxed after several hours spent with their visitors.  
  
Trip's eyes rolled up so far in his head it looked like they'd be lost forever. "Give it a rest, pal, just for a little while. Not everything is about weapons."  
  
"Relax, he's just doing his job, trying to protect us." Jon chuckled at the look on his friend's face. "And we're certainly not the easiest people to protect."  
  
Daniel, sensing a need to change the subject, spoke up from his corner of the group. "It's unbelievable," he said, absentmindedly eating while studying the Universal Translator. "This device learns languages, remembers them, and translates them."  
  
"So, we wouldn't need you anymore?" Jack asked, balancing his already empty plate on two fingers.  
  
"No," Hoshi said, "I'm afraid it's not that easy. Even with languages it knows, the Universal Translator can't interpret body language or tone the way a person can. And it still needs a lot of help to learn."  
  
"Sorry, Colonel, you won't get rid of your linguist that easily," Malcolm said.  
  
"Besides, sir, would *you* like to do the archaeology portion of Daniel's job?" Sam was checking and repacking her gear, and didn't look up as she spoke, but everyone could see the hint of a smile.  
  
"Well, we haven't done much in the way of archaeology," Trip said, "but Hoshi's certainly been good to have around. She's saved our bacon more than a few times."  
  
Hoshi blushed. Jon liked how it looked on her so he picked up where Trip left off. "For instance, our ship was invaded by a creature that tried to absorb several of us, and we would have died if she hadn't figured out how to speak to it."  
  
"Sir!" Hoshi said, blushing harder. "I couldn't have done it without Sub-Commander T'Pol's help."  
  
The conversation continued to meander, SG-1 explaining the Goa'uld, the Enterprise crew describing Klingons, everyone comparing the number of injuries.  
  
"We've still got you beat on the injury front," Jack said, "but we've also been at this a couple years longer."  
  
"I have a bad feeling we're catching up pretty quick," Trip said.  
  
"And at least Daniel's never managed to get pregnant," Sam said.  
  
Trip groaned and flung his arms out in supplication. "I am *never* gonna live that down, am I?"  
  
"No," his crewmates said in unison.  
  
"Okay, folks," Jack said, "I think it's time we get some sleep. I'll take first watch."  
  
"Wake me in a few hours," Malcolm replied.  
  
And with that, everyone dispersed to tents. Just before he shut the zipper to his, Jon got a glimpse of Hoshi and Sam, heads together, laughing as they walked. He shuddered at the thought of what they might be talking about.  
  
  
--continued in part two-- 


	2. Part 2

TITLE: There and Back Again  
AUTHOR: Mara Greengrass  
AUTHOR'S E-MAIL: fishfolk@ix.netcom.com. Feedback is better than chocolate.  
  
Other headers in part one  
  
* * * * *  
  
Dawn broke and the two teams emerged from their tents, yawning. The orange light even made morning look like a spectacularly bloody sunset. The surrounding buildings looked less faded in the bright light, almost cheerful.  
  
"Rise and shine, or at least rise," Jon said, tugging the zipper of his uniform up to the top.  
  
Jack stomped out of the tent, running a hand through his short hair. "Whatever. Just tell me you've got coffee around here." A cup appeared under his nose and his eyes widened. "That's more like it."  
  
Daniel smiled at his CO. "It's the first thing I looked for this morning. I figured you'd be unbearable without it." He sat back down next to Hoshi, who was putting her hair up in its ponytail.  
  
"Good boy, Danny, I've got you well trained."  
  
"Oh yes, sir, he's very well-trained," Sam said, "that must be why he keeps wandering off."  
  
Jack and Daniel shot her nearly identical glares, and she blinked back, her face a study in innocence.  
  
The Enterprise crew snickered and Teal'c looked on benevolently.  
  
"Okay, children," Jon said, grinning, "let's play nice now."  
  
"Yeah, I'll play nice just as soon as I get some respect from my team," Jack said as he drank his coffee. "Okay, let's get on with the getting home, people. What's the plan?"  
  
Trip piped up from where he leaned against the shuttle. "Well, Sam--Major Carter and I were going to do some more testing on the Stargate, then run some simulations on the shuttle's computer."  
  
"And Hoshi and I are going to follow up some intriguing data from yesterday," Daniel said. "We may have a clue to the origin of this Stargate."  
  
Malcolm spoke up next. "Teal'c and I had planned to investigate that building that looked like an armory. He's got a very interesting idea about how to power it up."  
  
Jack looked at Jon as the others began to make plans. "Where does that leave us?"  
  
Jon grinned. "Supervising. It's hard work, but somebody's got to do it." He paused. "Actually, I thought we'd keep an eye on our roving linguists. Sounds like yours is trouble-prone and I'm rather attached to mine." He winced a bit at his own phrasing.  
  
Jack nodded, but Jon noticed his eyes move toward his blonde teammate. Jon decided it was time to have that chat with Trip, and he managed to grab him as everyone was gearing up.  
  
"Trip, can I have a word with you?"  
  
"Sure, Cap'n."  
  
Quick to catch on, Sam said, "I need to talk to Col. O'Neill. Come find me when you're ready."  
  
Trip crossed his arms and leaned against the shuttle, his lips twitching with obvious amusement. "If you were gonna warn me to keep my hands off the Major, don't worry."  
  
"I just-"  
  
"You figured I wouldn't notice what's going on between the colonel and the major? I know I'm not always the most observant guy in the universe, but a blind Vulcan would notice something up with those two."  
  
A chastened Jon smiled. "Sorry, I just want to be certain nobody gets hurt. Especially since, if all goes well, they'll be leaving soon."  
  
"Don't worry, Cap'n, it's strictly hands-off for me. She's sure smart, though. I've gotta admit I'm kinda sorry she's leaving. I mean, she's supposed to be 150 years behind me, but I think it'd take her a week to catch up. In another week she'd probably be designing the Warp 6 or 7 engine. Heck, sounds like she's seen more alien tech than I have."  
  
"Let's just get them home." Jon clapped Trip on the shoulder.  
  
"You bet." Trip turned to walk toward Sam. "Hey, if I were you, I'd be worrying about how well Hoshi and that Dr. Jackson guy are getting along. You know, he-"  
  
"Trip." The word came out like the voice of doom, but Trip grinned.  
  
"Just a thought."  
  
"A thought you should keep to yourself." Jon turned away, unable to face the combined amusement and sympathy in his friend's face.   
  
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hoshi and Daniel in animated discussion, and against his better judgement, he turned to look. They were discussing the Universal Translator, and Hoshi was bent over his shoulder pointing to something on the device. She looked thrilled to be able to discuss linguistics with someone who understood her.  
  
Jon went to the shuttle to find his gear.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The trek back to the Stargate was easier in daylight. Jon felt a little silly as he looked at the abandoned buildings that had seemed so ominous the night before. Starfleet Captains really shouldn't allow themselves to be so fanciful, he thought.  
  
There was just something a bit sad and eerie about a completely empty city. It didn't quite have that Marie Celeste feel, since these aliens had neatly picked up after themselves, but still...  
  
As they entered the area around the Stargate, everyone dispersed to their planned tasks.  
  
Daniel and Hoshi studied the text carved into the pillars next to the Stargate, hoping they contained a clue to the Stargate's arrival, and perhaps how travel between the universes was possible.   
  
Meanwhile, Trip and Sam climbed over and around the Stargate and its control panel, taking readings and muttering about naquada levels and other esoterica.  
  
The day dragged for Jack and Jon, unable to really contribute to most of the activity. So, they were pleased to make their first real contribution by getting lunch ready from the supplies they'd carried from the shuttle.  
  
"My steward would be apoplectic if he saw me doing this," Jon told Jack with a grin. "He always worries when I go on missions that nobody is taking care of me."  
  
"I'm just glad to not be in prison for once. It's something about the sight of SG-1 coming through a Stargate that causes everyone to clean out their jail cells."  
  
"Malcolm was thinking about it. If Teal'c hadn't convinced him, he might still have insisted."  
  
They dragged everyone away from their pursuits to eat.  
  
"C'mon, I know an unfed Daniel is a grumpy Daniel."  
  
Daniel eyed Jack from his position kneeling to look at a faded line of text. "What?"  
  
"The squiggles will be there when you're done. What am I, a goddamn mother hen? Just eat."  
  
Sam and Trip talked about their work straight through lunch, leaving Jon thoroughly confused.  
  
"What *is* naquada?" he finally asked Jack.  
  
"Damned if I know." Jack leaned back against the nearest wall. "It's whatever the Stargate's made of. Oh, and the snake-heads have got some in their systems. Makes 'em easier to find."  
  
"So, tell me more about these Goa'uld," Jon said. "You never know, we might still encounter them in our universe, and it pays to be prepared."  
  
Jack nodded in approval, but before he could speak, Jon found himself pitching forward plate flying out of his hands.  
  
"What the hell just happened?" Jack asked from where he sat on the ground a few feet away.  
  
"Quake," Trip said, picking bits of his lunch off his uniform.  
  
Jon was unreasonably irritated by the concise answer. "I don't remember T'Pol's scans saying anything about geologic instability."  
  
"They didn't," Malcolm said. "If they had, I would have made further security recommendations."  
  
"Well, that's just great," Jack said, folding his arms, "but scan or no scan, that was definitely an earthquake."  
  
"Planetquake," Daniel said absently as he checked over fallen equipment.  
  
"What?"  
  
"It's not an earthquake, Jack, since we're not-"  
  
"Shut up and get back to work."  
  
Jon leaned wearily against a wall and tried to decide whether he was going to survive this group from the past.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The sun moved slowly across the sky, and Jon found himself trying to identify exactly what shade of orange it was. When he was torn between burnt umber and pumpkin, he decided it was an entirely bad sign, and went looking for something to do. Jack had disappeared at least an hour ago to play with weapons with Malcolm and Teal'c. They'd been muttering something about target practice, which Jon chose to ignore.  
  
Daniel and Hoshi were sitting in practically identical poses, cross-legged in front of the panels, noses millimeters away, painstakingly cleaning off years (or was that centuries?) of dirt. This was probably not a good time to interrupt them, so Jon headed over to see how Sam and Trip were doing.  
  
They were sitting on the edge of the Stargate's platform, scrolling down the display on a padd, when Jon wandered over.   
  
Trip looked up. "Good timing, Cap'n."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"We've made some progress."  
  
Sam nodded. "Let me get the others so they can hear this." She lifted her radio to her lips and within a few minutes the three warriors came around the corner. Daniel and Hoshi finally managed to drag themselves away from their translation, and they trailed behind them up to the Stargate platform.  
  
"Well, Carter?"  
  
"We think we have an answer."  
  
"That's good news." Jack paused, looking a little worried. "It *is* good news, isn't it?"  
  
"Yes, sir. At least, we think it is."  
  
"Lemme have it." He crossed his hands over his stomach and waited.  
  
"Commander Tucker and I believe that the weapons that were fired at us as we went through the Stargate managed to hit the console and the Stargate in a unique fashion, causing-"  
  
"Whoa, whoa," he said, waving his hands. "Just cut to the chase." He turned to Jon, who was stifling a grin. "Do yours do this to you, too?"  
  
"All the time."  
  
Trip coughed and pitched in to help his fellow scientist. "What she's trying to say is that the energy caused a very specific overflow pattern, and we think--and that's think, mind you--that we can do something similar that will reverse your path."  
  
"Do you ever get a feeling of déjà vu?" Jack asked Sam, scowling at her.  
  
Undaunted by his expression, she smiled. "No, sir, never."  
  
"Well, you pulled off a miracle last time we traveled in time, so I guess you can do it again."  
  
"We did that with the help of General Hammond, or rather Lieutenant Hammond," Daniel said, poking at his glasses with his finger.  
  
"However, this time we have the advantage of superior technology as well as informed allies," Teal'c said. Everyone turned to look when the large and quiet man spoke.  
  
"That's right," Jon said, nodding firmly. "We'll certainly do our best to get you back to your own universe and time."  
  
"That's something," Jack said.   
  
"I think we're ready to start testing now," Trip said.  
  
"Captain," Hoshi said, "permission for Daniel and I to continue our work? I can't help thinking that how the Stargate got here to begin with will be important to the solution."  
  
"Permission granted. You've certainly been proven right before. Keep us updated on what you find."  
  
"Well," Trip said, "we might as well get started with those simulations on the shuttle's computers. You know where to find us for the foreseeable future."  
  
Hoshi looked at Daniel. "I think we have most of what we need for the moment recorded."  
  
Daniel nodded. "I agree, let's head back to the campsite, where we can sit a little more comfortably. I think you were on the right track with your analysis of that last..."  
  
Jon turned away as the conversation quickly moved into the technical and found Jack looking at him with a speculative expression. "What?"  
  
"Hmm? Oh, I was just thinking that we've got to get back home, because I can't imagine what would happen to the universe if we let those two loose on it together."  
  
"The mind boggles, doesn't it?" And with a last look at the two linguists in perfect harmony, Jon followed the rest of his team back toward the shuttle.  
  
* * * * *  
  
A few hours later, as the sun once again dipped behind the ruins of the city, the two exhausted technical teams flopped down in the ground, and groaned in unison.  
  
"That's it, I'm done for," Trip said, his head thrown back and eyes closed.  
  
"You know," Jon said, looking at Jack, "I think this means we're cooking again."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Well, those four are exhausted and I've eaten Malcolm's cooking. How's Teal'c?"  
  
Jack stalked over to the food supplies. "More stew, anyone?"  
  
The two crews looked relaxed as they ate, Jon thought. It was interesting to see how quickly they'd become one team, even the alien Teal'c.  
  
"You know, Teal'c, I'm sure this is somehow your fault," Jack said.  
  
"In what way, O'Neill?" Teal'c examined his teammate closely and raised one eyebrow in a manner so like T'Pol, Jon had to repress a laugh.  
  
"Like maybe if you'd warned us about how easily offended the folks on PX whatever were, they might not have been shooting at us."  
  
"In my previous experience on that world, the residents did not *dare* shoot at us," Teal'c said. Jon knew he'd missed a joke, because Jack glowered, and Sam and Daniel snickered.  
  
"Yeah, Jack, try again," Daniel called from the other side of the fire.  
  
"I'm sorry, sir, but I have to agree." Sam failed to look the least bit sorry. "I'm fairly certain they were shooting at us because you kept mentioning the Goa'uld."  
  
"DanielJackson did try to warn you about the taboo," Teal'c said, "several times. But you did not heed his warnings."  
  
Jon grinned. He could imagine T'Pol saying the same thing over dinner to Trip, and the thought of putting Teal'c and T'Pol in the same room was looking rather amusing.  
  
"So, you guys get shot at a lot, too?" Trip asked. "I was hoping maybe we'd grow outta that, but it looks like it's no good."  
  
Malcolm looked at him. "Does this mean you'll consider taking my advice now and then?"  
  
"You should listen to the words of LieutenantReed," Teal'c said, "as he is the only trained warrior among you."  
  
Hoshi laughed. "Hey, my shooting is getting better. Maybe I could practice with the phase cannons next."  
  
"Oh no, I won't even let Commander Tucker here fire them."  
  
Sam looked thoughtful. "I wonder if we're ever going to have a starship Enterprise in our universe?"  
  
"I don't know," Daniel said. "It seems to me the Stargates will change things too much. Eventually, the information will reach civilian agencies."  
  
"And we'll be building ships based on Tok'ra tech," Jack said, "and whatever we can steal from the Goa'uld."  
  
"So," Jon said, looking at the SG-1 team, "did any of you ever see the original Enterprise, the NASA shuttle?" When they looked at him in confusion, he flushed slightly. "I have a hobby, collecting images of the other Enterprises."  
  
"I saw her last year in the Smithsonian, when they built that annex out near Dulles," Jack said.  
  
"I saw one of the test flights," Sam said, and everyone looked at her. "I was a kid, and we were in California. That has to have been, what, 1977?"  
  
"I think so," Jon said. "What was it like?" He leaned forward, excitement building. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his crew smiling at him, but he didn't care.  
  
"You know she never went into space, right? Enterprise was an orbiter, built to test free flight, approaches, and landings." Sam looked worried she might be ruining his dream.  
  
Jon nodded, and gave her a reassuring smile.  
  
"Well, I was interested in the Air Force even then, so as a present, my dad got my brother and I in to see the test flight at Edwards Air Force Base. Enterprise was sitting on the runway, mounted on the back of this 747. It was still pretty dark, but there were thousands and thousands of people there, like a big carnival, kids running around everywhere, and everyone over the age of 10 terrified that something would go wrong. But there was also this suppressed excitement, this feeling we were seeing something groundbreaking.  
  
"Finally, as the sun came up, the 747 taxied away, followed by a couple of chase planes, T-38's, I think. I held my breath during takeoff, but it went fine. The 747 circled for a really long time, and everyone was worried something had gone wrong. Suddenly, they released Enterprise, the 747 dipped down, and Enterprise popped up. It was in the air in free flight for the first time. God, it was beautiful."  
  
Everyone held their breath, and Sam's eyes were bright as she talked.  
  
"They made some practice turns, and the crowd was cheering as Enterprise dipped and curved. I was screaming, I don't even know what I was saying.  
  
"Then, it was time to land. They came down quickly, paralleling the runway, dropped the landing gear, and nobody could decide whether to scream or hold their breath. When that first wheel touched the ground, it was absolutely terrifying. When all the wheels were on the ground, and they started to brake, everyone applauded and hugged and cheered.  
  
"It must have taken a couple of miles for them to slow down, but by then we knew it was going to be okay. They'd done it, and we were one step closer to regular space travel."  
  
Sam looked away, obviously embarrassed by the emotion she'd shown.  
  
"Thank you," Jon said softly. "You don't know how much it means to me to hear that. I've read reports, but that's not the same."  
  
"No, it's not," she said, fiddling with the cuff on her pants.  
  
"I didn't know," Jack said, his voice lacking its usual sarcasm. His expression was odd as he looked at her, and Jon wondered about their relationship. There was obviously something going on, but what it was...  
  
* * * * *  
  
It was late, the sun long set, and everyone was winding down when they felt it: the ground shuddering like jelly. Jon jumped as a pile of padds sitting on the wall behind him seemed to leap off of their own accord. He escaped most of them, but one banged into his shoulder. The shaking only lasted a few seconds, but as Jon rubbed his shoulder he checked on everyone else.   
  
"Is it just me, or was that worse than the last one?" Daniel asked. He and Hoshi were sprawled by the entrance to the shuttle, but looked unharmed.  
  
"It's not just you," Malcolm said. "That was definitely worse." He and Teal'c exchanged concerned glances.  
  
Jack started picking stones out of his hair. "That can't *possibly* be a good thing."  
  
"Just another reason for us to get you home and us back on Enterprise as soon as possible," Jon said.  
  
"You take me to the nicest places, Cap'n. If it's not hallucinogenic caves or slime monsters, it's planetquakes."  
  
"Funny, Trip. Let's just get some sleep. Are you ready to trigger the Stargate?"  
  
"We think so. It'll probably take about an hour to set up in the morning."  
  
  
--continued in part three-- 


	3. Part 3

TITLE: There and Back Again  
AUTHOR: Mara Greengrass  
AUTHOR'S E-MAIL: fishfolk@ix.netcom.com. Feedback is better than chocolate.  
  
Other headers in part one  
  
* * * * *  
  
Thanks to another quake, everyone was up even earlier the next morning than they'd planned. This one hit just before dawn and it caused several tents to collapse. Hoshi and Sam's tent was even hit by a falling stone; they were rather blasé about the whole thing, but Jon and Jack both ran around doing very creditable imitations of chickens with their heads cut off.  
  
Jon finally calmed down when he got a look at Trip's face. The other man was red and he looked like he was holding his breath--definitely laughing.  
  
"Let's get on with testing," Jon said, more sharply than he'd intended.  
  
Yawning the whole way, the group straggled their way back to the Stargate.  
  
"We should move the shuttle closer," Trip said as he stumbled over a loose stone.  
  
"Good idea. Lieutenant, would you take care of that later?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Daniel and Hoshi went back to huddling over a padd, and Sam and Trip began to set up equipment they'd jury-rigged from the shuttle.  
  
Jon wandered over. "Do I want to ask you how this works?"  
  
Sam opened her mouth but Trip beat her to it. "No, Cap'n, I don't think you do. Just trust me."  
  
"I do, Trip, I do." And Jon wandered back to where Jack, Malcolm, and Teal'c stood silently observing.  
  
"Captain."  
  
"Colonel."  
  
Jon joined the vigil, but eventually couldn't stand it anymore. His fingers itched to take action and his skin was practically crawling with his impatience.  
  
"So, how will you know if this works?"  
  
"If this Stargate connects with another, we will know," Teal'c said.  
  
"But how will you know if it's the right one?"  
  
"If we go through and General Hammond is yelling at us," Jack said, "we've got the right place and time. Other than that, who the hell knows?"  
  
Jon glanced over at him. Jack was trying to look calm and in command, but tension was obvious in the lines around his eyes and the way his jaw kept clenching.  
  
Hoshi and Daniel were oblivious to all the activity near them, paying only enough attention to duck when large objects went over their head.  
  
After all the buildup, it was almost anticlimactic when Trip turned around. "Okay, let's go."  
  
Jack looked even more wound up, but he turned to Jon and held out his hand. "Thanks for your help."  
  
"Good luck in your war against the Goa'uld. I wish we could send you back with some technology, but..."  
  
"I know, I know, timestream, changing the universe, all that stuff. Been there, done that, painted the spare bedroom." Jack waved it off. "We'll figure out something. We always do."  
  
"I can see why. You've got a good team."  
  
"So do you."  
  
They both turned at the sound of a whine. Sam stood over a sleek box attached to the Stargate control panel, while Trip knelt by a gray cylinder atop a tripod, which was shooting bolts of energy at the Stargate.  
  
"Daniel, get your ass over here if you don't want to miss the train home."  
  
"Hang on, I think we're onto something."  
  
"Sir, it's working. We're getting close."  
  
"Daniel!"  
  
"Do not worry, O'Neill. I will carry him through the Stargate if necessary."  
  
"I'm going to trigger the gate sequence...Now!" She began to press the buttons and energy continued to pummel the Stargate.  
  
There was a shimmer, and Jon could hear Jack muttering, "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon."  
  
Sam pressed the last button and the shimmer grew.  
  
Then it disappeared.  
  
The beams stopped hitting the Stargate, the box Sam monitored beeped dishearteningly, and everything was quiet.  
  
"Trip?"  
  
"I don't know. We missed something. I don't know what." He glared at the Stargate as if it had chosen to not function simply to annoy him.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, Jon saw Jack approach Sam, who stood braced against the console, head down. "Carter?"  
  
"I'm out of ideas, sir."  
  
Jack's hand stretched, perhaps to pat her shoulder, when he was interrupted.  
  
"Um guys, we've deciphered most of the text," Daniel said. "I think everyone needs to hear this."  
  
"We're kind of in the middle of-"  
  
"Everyone needs to hear it *now*."  
  
Jack's eyebrows shot up, then he shrugged. "If you think it's that important..."  
  
"It is," Hoshi said. She and Daniel moved to stand by the panels and the others gathered around. Jon had a bizarre sense of déjà vu and wondered if she was going to start teaching them Vulcan.  
  
Daniel pointed to the first three lines of symbols. "This is the section we told you about before. It describes how the Ancients were experimenting with using the Stargates to travel between dimensions. Their time experiments, as we know, were unsuccessful, so they thought exploring alternate space might work better. It's unclear if their arrival on this planet involved time travel as ours did or not."  
  
Hoshi picked up without a pause, pointing to a lower section. "Here it describes the transfer of this Stargate. There are some technical details we'll give you later, but they seem to have warped the universe and convinced it that this location and their Stargate were the same. Then, they split them again, leaving a Stargate in each place. They were apparently quite pleased with themselves," she said with some disgust.  
  
Daniel stepped over to the next panel. "Here's the problem. This portion describes their arrival on this planet. They expected the residents to be upset at their appearance, but instead they found them thrilled to have visitors."  
  
"That's a problem?" Sam asked. "I wish that happened to us more often."  
  
"Yeah, same here," Trip said.  
  
Jon happened to be looking at Malcolm and he saw the other man's chin shoot up, his shoulders tense, his hand drifting automatically toward his phase pistol.  
  
"Malcolm?"  
  
He didn't look away from the two linguists. "They didn't fight, but something happened then that caused this planet to be abandoned."  
  
"You're right," Daniel said, his face drawn and tight. "Within a few weeks, the planetquakes started, then weather disturbances, electrical storms."  
  
"The Stargate caused this?" Teal'c asked.  
  
"The Ancients seemed to think so, and they certainly knew more about the possible effects than we do."  
  
"I have never heard of a Stargate causing such phenomena," Teal'c said, "but we cannot deny our own experiences. The planetquakes, as you call them, have begun."  
  
"What did these Ancients do when they realized what had happened?" Jon asked.  
  
"Got the hell out of Dodge, I'd guess." Trip's tone was light, but he was leaning slightly forward, ready to leap up and take action.  
  
"Precisely," Daniel said. "They concluded that the planetary disturbances might last for decades and would probably get worse. When they found no way to reverse it, they began an immediate evacuation of the entire population."  
  
"They got everybody out?" Jack shook his head in disbelief.  
  
"It took them a year, and the quakes and other problems got worse the entire time," Hoshi said.  
  
"A year? They had a year?" Jack relaxed. "Don't scare me like that. I thought we were in real trouble. You guys'll figure something out long before a year is up."  
  
"We are in real trouble, Col. O'Neill." Hoshi looked at Daniel and he nodded at her to continue. "The quakes didn't start for weeks after that first Stargate use. The ones we're experiencing started immediately. We can't be certain, but if we're right, this planet could become uninhabitable within a few days. Enterprise will be here to pick us up before that, but..."  
  
"But the Stargate would be unreachable until the disturbances died down." Daniel paused. "In a few decades. If it even survived the experience."  
  
"If you're sick and tired of being stranded, clap your hands," Jack said. He started to pace.  
  
"You're not stranded yet," Jon said. "We'll do whatever we can to make this work before we have to evacuate you."  
  
"Thanks, but excuse me if that doesn't make me leap for joy."  
  
As if to contradict his statement, a noise like a gunshot in the distance made everyone jump. While they were looking around them, a rumbling began, an approaching stampede, and the ground tilted wildly. Jon found himself falling, his inner ear, eyes, and feet unable to agree on anything. The ground was like sandpaper when he hit it, but worst of all, it was writhing and groaning.  
  
Then as suddenly as it began, all was quiet and still.  
  
Jon pushed himself up, ignoring the sting of scrapes on his palms and cheek. Around him, everyone else sat up, brushed dirt off their uniforms, and generally shook themselves back into order.  
  
Jon forced himself to check first on Malcolm, who was nursing a nasty cut on his cheek. "I'm fine, sir," the armory officer insisted as Jon searched for the nearest first aid kit.  
  
"You always say that," Jon said. "I've stopped believing you."  
  
"How can you say such a thing?" Malcolm managed to imbue his voice with a world of insult.  
  
Jon shook his head and went to check on Trip and Hoshi, leaving Malcolm holding a bandage to his head.  
  
Trip and Sam were already sorting out the mess of equipment, so Jon was able to turn his attention to Hoshi with a clear conscience.  
  
She didn't seem to be bleeding, but she sat on a low wall, one hand held to the back of her head. Daniel was trying to take a look, but Jon unceremoniously pushed him out of the way.  
  
"Are you okay, Hoshi?"  
  
"I'm fine, sir. I just hit my head on the way down, and I think I'm going to have quite a bump."   
  
As she spoke, Jon checked her head and she was right, so he stepped around in front of her. She was disheveled and dusty, but no less lovely for that. He folded his hands to repress the urge to brush dust off her cheek and tuck her hair behind her ear. "Why don't you rest and I'll go get a scanner so I can make sure you haven't got a concussion?"  
  
"I need to give Trip the data we-" Hoshi tried to stand up.  
  
"Dr. Jackson can take care of that," Jon said firmly, pushing her back down. "You need to rest until I can be certain nothing is wrong. That's an order, Ensign."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Now, stay here while I get a scanner." She subsided back onto the wall, and Jon didn't miss the wince as she nodded her head.  
  
Daniel was sorting through the notes on the ground nearby. He looked up as Jon passed. "I'll give them the information we translated."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Jon checked Hoshi over, but after he found no concussion, she joined the huddle of scientists making adjustments to their equipment.  
  
"This is the worst part," Jon said, mostly to himself, as he crossed his arms and watched.  
  
"Yeah," Jack agreed.  
  
The shaking was becoming more frequent, and any movement was like walking across a floor covered in marbles.  
  
The sounds were the worst, Jon decided as he whirled around, startled by a nearby crash. He covered his head as a hail of small stones followed the noise.  
  
An hour passed, and tempers were starting to flare. He saw Trip almost yelling at Daniel as the latter tried to explain what needed to be done. Even Hoshi and Sam looked tense.  
  
"Captain, I think we need to move the shuttle now. If this gets much worse, we might not be able to get to it to get off the planet." Malcolm said.  
  
"You're right. Go ahead. Get as close as you can."  
  
"Take Teal'c with you," Jack said. "It's getting dangerous around here."  
  
"How much longer?" Jon called to the scientists as Malcolm and Teal'c carefully made their way out of the clearing.  
  
"Not sure, Cap'n. We're making this up as we go along, you know."  
  
Jon turned as he heard the whine of the shuttle and he saw it settling down on the other side of a building. Nodding with satisfaction, he estimated they could reach it in moments.  
  
Sam and Trip set up the equipment again, running endless checks as the ground shook. Daniel and Hoshi hovered over their shoulders, making suggestions. As things progressed, they become less tense. Understandings were reached. Nodding was more frequent than frowning.  
  
"I think we're ready, sir." Sam was rechecking a setting.  
  
"Will it work?"  
  
"It'd better." Trip looked up from his post. "I don't think we're going to be able to stay here much longer. I think we've got one more shot."  
  
"Make it a good one."  
  
"Aye, Cap'n."  
  
The noises were ceaseless now, a varied symphony of grinding walls and clattering stones. Sam and Trip took up their positions, everyone else found a spot where they could hold steady against the shaking.  
  
Once again, beams shot out to hit the Stargate. Jon couldn't see any difference, but he prayed there was one. It had to work this time.  
  
Around them, the buildings were starting to fall apart. Even as he watched, a wall just beyond the Stargate developed a crack that ran diagonally from the bottom halfway up the side. Small rocks began to pelt them from all sides.  
  
"Is it working?" Jon yelled.  
  
"How the heck should I know, Cap'n?" Trip ducked and bent to cover the emitter.  
  
"It's working," Sam said from the console, where she was holding onto the edges to keep her balance. "I estimate the Stargate will open in two minutes."  
  
"That's great, Carter," Jack yelled as he staggered over, evading flying debris with uncanny accuracy. "But are we gonna make it for two more minutes?"  
  
"We will survive, O'Neill." Teal'c made the task of standing up look a lot easier than it actually was.  
  
Jack turned to Jon. "You should get back to your shuttle now."  
  
"What if this doesn't work?"  
  
"It'll work. Go!"  
  
Jon didn't even have to look at his crew to know they were all shaking their heads. "We'll leave when you're safely through the Stargate, or we'll take you with us."  
  
"We're not gonna leave and that's final," Trip said. "Now, get ready, we've got one more adjustment to make." A rock hit his shoulder and he grunted, but kept working.  
  
Jon's entire body was braced against the shaking, nerves singing with tension. Beams continued to pulse against the Stargate, and Jon held his breath as Sam pushed at the console.  
  
Then, in between heartbeats, the giant stone ring filled with a sea of matter, blue and black, writhing and twisting.  
  
"Whoo hoo!" Trip bellowed.  
  
"Okay, people, let's move." Jack braced himself upright and started toward the Stargate.  
  
Sam smiled at Trip. "It's been an honor, Commander."  
  
Meanwhile, Daniel hugged Hoshi and started toward the Stargate. "Thank you for your help and good luck."  
  
"And to you."  
  
Meanwhile, Teal'c and Malcolm exchanged glances, and shook hands firmly.  
  
The four visitors made their way quickly to the Stargate.  
  
"Thanks for everything," Jack called to Jon as his team hopped through. "It's been real, and it's been fun, but it hasn't been real fun. Now get outta here!" He followed his team through the Stargate, and moments later, the shimmer vanished.  
  
Jon shook his head and staggered a few feet in the direction of the shuttle. "Come on, people, let's do what the man said, before this planet breaks up."  
  
The ground was definitely shaking harder as they made their way to where Malcolm had left the shuttle.  
  
Jon hung behind, pushing his crew in front of him. "Go, go!"  
  
Ahead of him, Malcolm was opening the door, jumping in, practically throwing Trip inside. Jon was behind Hoshi, he saw the rock falling, there was no time to shout.   
  
He threw himself at her, twisting them both aside. The rock scraped along his back, and Jon could feel the fabric of his uniform rip, the skin gouged. They hit the ground hard, and everything grayed out.  
  
Someone was dragging him. "Damn it, Cap'n, get *up*!"  
  
"I'm up," he said with a groan. "Where's Hoshi?"  
  
"She's okay. Malcolm's got her in the shuttle. Let's go!"  
  
The door of the shuttle was in front of them and they dove in. Hoshi slammed the door behind them as Malcolm ignited the thrusters. Before they could even get seated, the shuttle was hurtling into the sky.  
  
Jon lay on the deck of the shuttle for a moment, catching his breath.  
  
"Captain? Are you okay?" Hoshi knelt over him, eyebrows furrowed with concern. "How's your back?"  
  
He swallowed, then managed a smile. "I'm just fine. Enterprise should be in orbit soon. Let's go home, people."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Epilogue:  
  
As Malcolm piloted the shuttle out of the planet's orbit, Jon sat down on a bench and winced as his back came in contact with the bulkhead. Trip and Hoshi frowned at him in unison.  
  
"I thought you said you were unhurt, sir." Hoshi was already rummaging for the first aid kit.  
  
Jon tried to say he was okay, but before he knew it, she'd turned him around to inspect his back. With Trip as amused onlooker, she ruthlessly stripped the top of his uniform off to tend to his wounds.  
  
When the blushing threatened to become too obvious, Trip took pity on him and served up a distraction. "So, do you think they made it back to the right universe and time?"  
  
"I don't know. If they did, I don't think we'll ever know."  
  
"Sir, we've got a call coming in from Enterprise," Malcolm said.  
  
T'Pol's flat voice reminded Jon for a heartbeat of Teal'c, and thus it took a moment for the sense of her message to sink in. "A what?" he asked.  
  
"A transmitter on the planet sending a repeating message, which specifically uses your name and asks you to transport a box. Should we do so?"  
  
"Yes," Jon was shaken and he looked at the other three, "I just hope it's good news."  
  
"Transporting now."  
  
"Let us know what you've got as soon as you're done." Jon looked at the others, and they looked as nervous as he did.  
  
Hoshi finished patching up his back and sat down on the bench next to him. Her wide eyes looked nervous and he managed a confident nod, which seemed to help.  
  
"Captain, there is a written message and a small box." T'Pol's voice echoed in the shuttle's interior.  
  
"What does the message say?"  
  
"It says: 'Captain Archer: We thought you folks might be a little worried, so Carter got the bright idea to send something back. Of course, she didn't sleep for three days trying to figure out how to reproduce the time and dimensional travel, but she loves that stuff.'"  
  
Jon smiled, even as T'Pol read it, he could hear Jack O'Neill's voice.  
  
T'Pol continued to read. "'The gift was Carter's idea too, but Teal'c, Daniel, and I hope you like it. We're home safe and sound for once. Thanks for everything.'  
  
"It is signed, 'Colonel Jack O'Neill.'"  
  
"What's in the box?" Jon was suddenly consumed with curiosity.  
  
A long pause ensued and the four of them exchanged puzzled glances.  
  
"There are four small models of a primitive vehicle," T'Pol said.  
  
Jon's mouth opened, but he couldn't say anything, so it fell to Hoshi to ask the obvious question.  
  
"Sub-Commander, what name appears on the craft?"  
  
"Enterprise."  
  
  
--end-- 


End file.
